India's Satellite Man- Udupi Ramachandra Rao

• To commemorate the 89th birth anniversary of the former Chairman of (ISRO) Udupi Ramachandra Rao, Google Doodle featured his sketch with a background of Earth and stars.
• Rao was an Indian space scientist and chairman of ISRO who supervised the 1975 launch of India’s first satellite — “Aryabhata.”
• In 1991, he initiated the development of the geostationary launch vehicle GSLV and the development of cryogenic technology. 

Agriculture Voltage Technology

• The agri-voltaic system of 105 KW capacity was developed by ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur.
• This technology can increase the income of farmers by the generation of electricity and growing cash crops simultaneously on the same piece of land.
• Under component-I of the KUSUM scheme, there is a provision for the installation of an agri-voltaic system in farmers’ fields with a capacity ranging from 500 KW to 2 MW.

KUSUM Scheme:

• Launched by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy for farmers for installation of solar pumps and grid-connected solar and other renewable power plants in the country.

AIM :

• The scheme aims to add solar and another renewable capacity of 25,750 MW by 2022.

THE SCHEME CONSISTS OF THREE COMPONENTS:

• Component A: 10,000 MW of Decentralized Ground Mounted Grid Connected Renewable Power Plants of individual plant size up to 2 MW.
• Component B: Installation of 17.50 lakh standalone Solar Powered Agriculture Pumps of individual pump capacity up to 7.5 HP.
• Component C: Solarisation of 10 Lakh Grid-connected Agriculture Pumps of individual pump capacity up to 7.5 HP.

IMPLEMENTATION

• State Nodal Agencies(SNAs) of MNRE will coordinate with States/UTs, Discoms and farmers for the implementation of the scheme.

SCHEME BENEFITS :

• The scheme will open a stable and continuous source of income to the rural land owners for a period of 25 years by utilisation of their dry/uncultivable land.
• Cultivated fields are chosen for setting up solar power projects, the farmers could continue to grow crops as the solar panels are to be set up above a minimum height.
• The scheme would ensure that sufficient local solar/ other renewable energy-based power is available for feeding rural pump-set loads, which require power mostly during the daytime.
• As these power plants will be located closer to the agriculture loads or to electrical substations in a decentralized manner, it will result in reduced Transmission losses for STUs and Discoms.
• The solar pumps will save the expenditure incurred on diesel for running diesel pumps and provide the farmers with a reliable source of irrigation.

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)

• The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) was established on 16 July 1929 as a registered society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
• It is an autonomous organisation under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India.
• It is headquartered at New Delhi. 
• It is the apex body for coordinating, guiding and managing research and education in agriculture including horticulture, fisheries and animal sciences in the entire country.

Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Nidhi (PMSSN)

Importance of Health

• Health is vital for improved developmental outcomes. From an economic standpoint, better health improves productivity, and reduces losses due to premature death, prolonged disability and early retirement.
• Health and Nutrition also directly impact scholastic achievements and have a bearing on productivity and income.  Health Outcomes depend substantially on public spending on health. 
• One extra year of population life expectancy raises GDP per capita by 4%, Investment in health creates millions of jobs, largely for women, through a much-needed expansion of the health workforce
• In the budget speech of 2018, the Finance Minister while announcing Ayushman Bharat Scheme, also announced the replacement of the existing 3% Education Cess by 4% Health and Education Cess.

Cabinet approved the creation of PMSSN as a single non-lapsable reserve fund for a share of Health from the proceeds of Health and Education Cess levied under Section 136-b of Finance Act, 2007.

Salient features of the PMSSN

• A non-lapsable reserve fund for Health in the Public Account;
• Proceeds of share of health in the Health and Education Cess will be credited into PMSSN;
• Accruals into the PMSSN will be utilized for the flagship schemes of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare namely,
• Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)
• Ayushman Bharat - Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs)
• National Health Mission
• Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY)
• Emergency & disaster preparedness and responses during health emergencies
• Any future programme/scheme that targets to achieve progress towards SDGs and the targets set out in the National Health Policy (NHP) 2017.
• Administration and maintenance of the PMSSN are entrusted to the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare; and
• In any financial year, the expenditure on such schemes of the MoHFW would be initially incurred from the PMSSN and thereafter, from Gross Budgetary Support (GBS).
• The major benefit will be enhanced access to universal & affordable health care through the availability of earmarked resources while ensuring that the amount does not lapse at the end of the financial year.